Interest Groups, Scalar Politics and Temporality

Abstract

Through their approaches, interest groups have the ability to influence scalar politics and temporality at the transboundary river basin level. Researchers usually conceive of scale and time in a particular manner. Scale is usually represented as a hierarchical level or size of a geographic area. The case of interest groups in the proposed Epupa debate indicated that hydropolitics and water governance can take place at a multitude of sites. This means that scalar politics can occur at the traditional state-centric hierarchical level and the horizontal scale where non-state actors exert influence over state actors. The transnational role and involvement of interest groups have not only had an impact on scalar politics, but also temporality. Interest groups have influenced events in the Kunene River basin to such an extent that researchers can no longer ignore their transnational role and involvement. Should researchers do so, it could create a situation where certain state-centric events will play a role in hydropolitics and water governance, like the negotiation and signing of treaties, the researching and writing of feasibility studies and the construction of dams. This means that history will no longer be viewed as teacher, but also as narrative and representation, as in the case of the OvaHimba’s campaign against the planned dam. How we view scale and time can have implications for how we understand reality and the policies developed to react to opportunities and problems in that reality.